Orange IDA hires ex-chairman

Friday

Jan 17, 2014 at 2:00 AM

NEW WINDSOR - The Orange County Industrial Development Agency turned to a familiar face Wednesday by hiring James Petro, its former chairman, to be executive director for the coming year. The executive director slot was vacant since last June, when James O'Donnell resigned after stepping down as deputy county executive. The IDA then launched a search for a replacement. It held lengthy discussions in private focusing on the position, but never revealed the number of candidates, their identities or their level of expertise.

James Walsh

NEW WINDSOR — The Orange County Industrial Development Agency turned to a familiar face Wednesday by hiring James Petro, its former chairman, to be executive director for the coming year.

The executive director slot was vacant since last June, when James O'Donnell resigned after stepping down as deputy county executive. The IDA then launched a search for a replacement. It held lengthy discussions in private focusing on the position, but never revealed the number of candidates, their identities or their level of expertise.

Petro, who was chairman of the IDA from 2008 to 2012, said last year he was not interested in a full-time job that also required overseeing the Orange County Business Accelerator. Both were requirements for the job as initially described by IDA Chairman Robert Armistead.

Instead, Petro's terms were met by the IDA, which made the position a part-time job requiring 1,000 hours of work for the year, and eliminated the accelerator-management provision. Petro will be paid $60,000.

The Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. is running the accelerator on a month-to-month basis.

IDA Vice Chairwoman Mary Ellen Rogulski, reached Thursday, said only that the IDA board "decided not to seek a full-time executive director. That's what led us to go in a different direction."

Petro said he saw his role as "being the face of the IDA; working with prospective clients, explaining the benefits, the tax abatements, the bonding. That's my job."

He also expected to work in excess of the 1,000-hour requirement.

"I know myself that I'll do double what they're calling for," Petro said. "I'm sure I'll put in more time than what's required of me."

Petro, a commercial landlord with holdings in the New Windsor area, also works as New Windsor's part-time planning/zoning coordinator and property development manager. He's paid about $22 per hour, but has said that income was secondary to public service.

He saw no conflict between the IDA position and the New Windsor job, which includes development of town-owned land near Stewart International Airport.

"I can take an IDA application, but I don't approve it," Petro said. "I bring it to the board and they decide what they can do."

In a related move, the IDA board unanimously promoted administrative assistant Laurie Villasuso to associate executive director at an annual salary of $55,000. She has been running much of the day-to-day work of the IDA, and was recently charged with overseeing the development of a marketing campaign for the agency.

Also during the meeting:

The IDA board approved property and other tax abatements for Stewart FBI, the builder of a new, $4.5 million FBI office on Town of New Windsor property near Stewart Airport. Tax incentives were awarded to aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney for its $140 million investment in a Town of Wallkill plant for coating turbine engines. Kevin Dowd was reappointed as attorney for the IDA, and Joel Kleiman as chief financial officer. Kleiman is also the county finance commissioner.